A city of faded grandeur, Turin has a reputation for stodginess, which is not helped by the fact that it is best known as the home of a major automaker, Fiat. This autumn, however, with the Shroud of Turin on display as part of the Roman Catholic...

By Oliver Bernier; Oliver bernier is the author of, most recently, of ''Words of Fire, Deeds of Blood: The Mob, the Monarchy and the French Revolution'' (Little, Brown)

LEAD: Turin, the capital of a small state half on one side of the Alps, half on the other, where the ruler spoke French and most of but part of the population Italian, is an improbable place for some of the best architecture in Italy, especially...

By William Weaver; WILLIAM WEAVER is the author of ''Duse'' (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich)

Turin has many squares, rich in shade and statuary, ideal for loafers and lovers, for playing children and dozing pensioners; but the Piazza San Carlo is the city's drawing room, and on a pleasant afternoon, nothing is more enjoyable than sitting at...